the new neighbour in the old house
by waterlit
Summary: An old house next door, and a mysterious new neighbour. Rin's life is about to take an unfortunate turn. [SessRin]


**Title**: the new neighbour in the old house

**Pairing**: Sesshomaru/Rin

**Summary**: An old house next door, and a mysterious new neighbour. Rin's life is about to take an unfortunate turn.

**Disclaimer**: The usual disclaimer applies.

**AN**: Thank you for reading this - I'm somewhat apologetic for posting such a half-baked piece. I just can't be bothered to tinker with it anymore, though I'm aware that there is much work needed on the atmosphere etc. I hope you enjoyed the reading of this nonetheless.

* * *

_Sunday _

The rain came down in a heavy sheet, falling here and there under the screeching wind's hasty direction. Sesshomaru stood at the window, nose almost pressed against the glass, watching as the mud swirled in his garden. Rin's daffodils were a despondent brown now, their trumpet heads streaked with dirt. He could not see his cacti in the grey of the rain.

"Come over here, Sesshomaru," Rin said, from her warm seat near the blazing fireplace. "It's too cold over there."

"I'd rather see the snow," Sesshomaru said. His breath frosted the glass near his face.

Rin shivered and pulled her shawl tighter around herself. "It'd be even colder," she said. "It's cold enough now."

Sesshomaru turned slightly. "You should move closer to the fire."

"I'm already very close."

"You could be closer," he said, turning back to the window. "Inuyasha told me the rain would stop after a day. It's been two days, that good-for-nothing."

"You know the weather is unpredictable," Rin said, smiling. She put novel away, letting it lean against the legs of her armchair.

"I know that."

"Don't you want to warm yourself?"

"I will. Soon. I'm not that sensitive to the cold." Sesshomaru shifted his weight from his left leg to his right. "There's a light over there."

"Pardon? What light?"

Sesshomaru turned to face his wife. "The house next door."

"Oh yes, we have a new neighbour," Rin said. "I forgot to tell you. He moved in a couple of days ago."

"You saw him?"

"Yes," Rin said. "He came over to say hi. He seemed friendly enough…"

Sesshomaru peered at the manor on the plot of land bordering his. "I wonder who bought it. It has been untenanted for many years."

"We can visit him soon," Rin suggested. "He said his name was Naraku."

Sesshomaru's eyelids flickered upwards. "A nasty name."

"Sesshomaru!" Rin said. "That was uncalled for."

Sesshomaru merely shrugged; he was still staring at the manor. It had been empty for a long time – for seven years now. When he was a child, the manor changed hands as frequently as he celebrated his birthday. Owners came and went, as if a malevolent force drove them all away.

"Inuyasha hates the house," Sesshomaru said.

Rin stared at her husband with large eyes. "Naraku's house?"

"Yes."

"That's why he always avoids this window! Actually, I think it's creepy too. Maybe he'll renovate it."

"Maybe," Sesshomaru said. The dark pointed windows, the gargoyles dotting the roof and the short round tower at the back had always attracted his disdain. It was an ugly house, and some people thought it contained terrible things.

:::

_Wednesday, am_

Sesshomaru's phone buzzed against his desk – once, twice, thrice. He gave up trying to read through Jaken's new proposal and reached for the phone. The call log told him that Inuyasha was the culprit who had distracted him from his work.

_Inuyasha deserves a punch_, Sesshomaru thought, dialling his brother's number.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha said when he picked up.

"Why the fuck are you calling me in the middle of a busy work day? Don't you have work to do? Should I send you another list of things I need done?"

"No, no," Inuyasha said. "I'm bloody busy now, don't give me more work." He paused. "Please. I called because I read something online."

"You're busy and yet you have the time to read something online?" Sesshomaru said. He could almost hear Inuyasha wince, and smiled at that thought.

"I – I – anyway, it's important! Two young women have disappeared from your neighbourhood."

"So?"

A pause, again. "You should watch over Rin."

"She's fine."

"I heard about your new neighbour, Sesshomaru. I still think you should tell Rin to be more careful."

"She's fine, I said."

"If you say so," Inuyasha said. Uncertainty flooded his voice. "I really don't think the bloke who bought _that_ house could be good. No one in the right mind would want to live there."

"I'll tell Rin what you said tonight," Sesshomaru said. He hung up. Inuyasha was always worrying about matters he didn't need to worry about – there was nothing new about it. Now, he had to get some work done.

:::

_Wednesday, pm_

Rin opened her front door and basked in the watery sunlight. The wind had eased up since the weekend, and it was now an obliging (if still biting) breeze. The daffodils shone like yellow stars amid the bleak landscape, and she paused to admire their colouring. Sesshomaru had planted them for her, and they had been so surprised when the stems burst from the ground ahead of schedule.

The land was grey all around, and their footsteps had dredged up the mud – their footsteps? Rin stared at the footsteps on the lawn. They had not been there in the morning when Sesshomaru left for work. Or had they? She didn't remember seeing them.

Rin grabbed a nearby spade and made a cautious circuit around the house. The back door was locked, the daffodils had not been damaged, and the porch was unstained by muddy footprints; in short, there was nothing out of the ordinary. She replaced the spade and studied the footprints again; her feet were much smaller than the size of the prints.

_They look like they were made by a man_, she thought, and grabbed the spade again. She looked around her. There were usually no birds around this time of the year, but the silence went deeper than the mere absence of chirping. It seemed as if the grey land had swallowed the living creatures into its hidden bowels, as if all sound had been quenched by the thick blanket of clouds.

Rin shivered and pulled her shawl tighter around herself. _I'll call Sesshomaru_, she told herself. _I'll ask him to come home earlier today._ She pulled her cell phone out and dialled Sesshomaru's office number; he did not answer. She tried his cell phone – again, there was no answer. Rin frowned and glanced around the garden again; her goose bumps were out, and it was not the cold air that brought them.

It was the raven on the dark turret on the adjoining piece of land that caught her eye._ A bird_, she noted. _There's a bird. That's right – I can wait at Naraku's house. _

She closed the front door and went down the muddy path that led towards Naraku's property. The raven gave a harsh squawk and flew off, a dark feather floating down to the ground just before Rin's feet. Her heart beat fast as she edged around it, wishing she'd never seen it.

The door was but a few steps away; it was old and dark, paint crumbling from the woodwork between the ornate metal frame. There was no doorbell to be seen. Rin raised a fist and knocked; the sound echoed, as if through an empty house.

Rin knocked again, this time uncertainly. There were echoes, again, and then a bleak silence that fell heavy over the land. Rin glanced back at her house. _Should I go back? But what about the footsteps? I don't actually know Naraku, though… _

"Ms Rin?"

The sudden sound made Rin jump. She blushed as she turned and saw Naraku standing behind her, his eyes half hidden by his bangs.

"Ah, Mr Naraku, good afternoon!" she said.

"Good afternoon," he said. Naraku moved forward to open the door. "Please come in, you must be cold."

"Thank you," Rin said, following her neighbour into the dark hallway. She sneezed as the dust swirled into her nose.

"It's dusty," Naraku said apologetically. "Sorry about that."

He led her into a cosy little room. Hunting trophies were displayed on the black walls – dusty brown antlered heads, a piece of fur that resembled a squirrel's pelt, a black head with horns. There was even a black and white striped rug on the floor. Rin made sure to avoid stepping on the rug.

"Make yourself at home," Naraku said, smiling. He took a seat in an armchair half drenched in shadows.

"You like to hunt?" Rin asked, sinking into the nearest armchair.

"Hunt?" The left edge of Naraku's mouth curved upwards in what could pass for a smile. "Yes. You could say that."

Rin nodded, though she did not really understand. "I – I'm sorry to intrude. I was just a little nervous, because of the footprints. And the bird." _And the shadows. And the air._

"Footprints? Bird?"

"There were footprints in my yard," Rin said. "I don't know who made them."

"That sounds like a good cause for concern," Naraku said, running a finger over the length of his jaw. His eyes seemed to pierce Rin's. "Interesting. You never know what you can find out in the suburbs."

"I… I suppose so," Rin said. She shifted her weight and the chair creaked. She didn't quite like the way Naraku half-smiled at her. "I – would you mind if I wait for Sesshomaru here?"

She regretted the words as soon as they tumbled out of her mouth in an avalanche, as if pushed on by fear. There was something dark about Naraku's house, and she didn't mean the shadows alone.

"You are most welcome to stay," Naraku said.

Rin rubbed her eyes. Had he smirked? "Thank you," she said, massaging her left temple.

Naraku leaned forward. "Headache?"

"A little. I'm sorry to bother you. I'll be fine."

"No, no, mustn't make the guest feel unwelcome… I'll get you some painkillers." Naraku dropped a tablet into Rin's hands and gestured at the nearby water jug. "Here you go."

Rin took the pill, washing it down with water. The feeling of dread returned, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Is everything fine?" Naraku asked, still solicitous. His smile seemed to widen.

"I – yes –" Rin said. She pressed a hand to her forehead. Now she felt giddy. "I –"

Rin's eyes closed, and she slumped over in her chair.

:::

Black ink washed the insides of her eyelids, and numbness weighed down her limbs. Even her eyelids were heavy, and hard to wrench open.

"Open your eyes," someone cackled nearby. "I know you're awake, little sleeping beauty."

Rin forced her eyelids open. There was darkness here too, darkness, and a circle of light from a single light bulb strung high up. She was staring straight into Naraku's smooth, pitiless face, and his eyes were shining with an unholy fervour.

"I –" Rin paused. Her head hurt. _I should massage it… _her fingers, however, refused to move, and remained by her side. Her wrists were bound to the thing she lay on. "Why am I here? Let me go!"

"Let you go?" Naraku said. He laughed, a high, chilling sound. "I don't think so. Not now. Not ever."

"You – you – let me go! Sesshomaru will track you down if you dare to … if you dare to do anything to me."

Naraku moved sideways; something glinted in his hands. "You really think so? I'm an old hand at this, you know. The police have never caught me. I doubt your Sesshomaru will."

"He will," Rin repeated, chanting the words over and over under her breath. "He'll come."

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't," Naraku said. "He might find your bones, who knows? I won't strip you of all hope."

Rin struggled against her bonds. "Why are you doing this?"

Naraku moved again. The shiny thing in his hands was truly a knife. "Why? Good question. I like to hear the cries, for one. So beautiful, the sounds…"

"You're sick," Rin said, her voice barely a whisper.

"You've never heard them, of course, darling, how could you ever have? I don't think you'd like listening to your own pleas, though. They never do, the silly fools…"

Rin twisted, the ropes cruelly pushing against her flesh. "Please. Let me go."

"Their cries, those cries that turn into howls, and the howls turn into hideous shrieks. Lovely music, lovely sounds."

"You don't know what you're saying," Rin said. "Put that knife down and untie me, Naraku. We can talk after that. How much do you want?"

"How much do I want?" His eyes widened. "I don't want your filthy money. I want to hear you scream."

"You don't mean that," Rin said. "Please, we can work this out. I can scream for you, just put the knife down."

"No, it's not the same," Naraku said. His face was pale, and his dark eyes blazed like stars. "It was me you know. I left those footprints you were so worried about."

Rin shook her head. _Sesshomaru_… she thought. _Where are you_?

"Enough talking," Naraku said. "I can't wait any longer. Time to play."

Rin turned her face away from Naraku as he moved closer to her. He ran a cold finger down one side of her face, down her neck. "Such soft skin," he whispered, his breath ghosting across her skin. "I wonder how much you'll bleed."

The tears came fast and furious, slipping off her face and onto the pad on which she lay. "Please," she whispered, unwilling to give up. "Please, Naraku."

"Beg louder," he said, placing the tip of the knife against her arm. "Louder."

"Please," she said, louder, as instructed.

"Not loud enough," he said, pushing the tip of the knife deeper into her skin. It drew blood as it sliced through her flesh.

Rin sobbed. "Please!" she shouted, through her tears.

"Cry," he said, pushing the knife further along her skin, further through her skin.

She turned her face to him, so he could see the tears. "Let me go home to Sesshomaru," she pleaded.

"Oh, I'll let you go back to him," Naraku said. He raised the blade, its shiny surface stained red. "Just not in one piece."

Rin opened her mouth, but Naraku moved, and only wails issued from her.

"Cry," Naraku said, "cry!" He laughed as Rin howled, he laughed and laughed and drove the knife along the path he intended.

Rin closed her eyes and thought of Sesshomaru before she faded away.

-Fin.-


End file.
